Hearthstone recently revealed Voyage to the Sunken City, its newest card set expansion. The set begins a brand-new tale set in Hearthstone's version of the Warcraft world, and kicks off a new year full of new Hearthstone content. A new year cycle means a new setting, and a new setting means a new story and a cast of characters to focus on. Voyage to the Sunken City introduces an expedition of adventurers both old and new to explore the depths of the set's secrets.
Game Rant had the chance to speak with renowned author, lyricist, and Blizzard storyteller Christie Golden, as well as Hearthstone senior narrative designer Valerie Chu about the characters of Voyage to the Sunken City. They introduced the Nightbourne ambassador Faelin, the main character of the announcement trailer for the set, as well as some members of his expedition, including the beloved Sir Finley Mrrgglton of the League of Explorers. Through these characters, Hearthstone will explore the depths of the ocean, and will allow players to fully immerse themselves in the secrets of the past.
The Cast of Hearthstone: Voyage to the Sunken City
The characters in Voyage to the Sunken City already look to be a colorful cast, but among the new faces, Ambassador Faelin seems to be particularly charming. During the height of the Kaldorei empire, 10,000 years before World of Warcraft, Faelin was the ambassador from Zin-Azshari in Suramar. According to Chu, Faelin has been living it up in Suramar, and has decided to return home to see how it has changed since the Sundering.
“When he left, everything was great; he had no idea Azshara was involved with all of these dark powers. The wonderful siren’s song Christie worked on captures how he feels about going home only to find the reality of what is waiting down there is something he didn’t quite plan for.”
Ambassador Faelin acts as the main character for this Warcraft story, and entry point for the story of Voyage to the Sunken City. A curious and absent-minded patron, the narrative of the expansion will undoubtedly revolve around the hijinks caused by his naivety. Golden was likewise excited to see his story play out. “He sounds like he is a simple soul,” she said. “I am interested in seeing how that interacts. I think that’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Faelin could not brave the seas alone, so he has hired the best help money can buy. Ini Stormcoil is a brilliant mechagnome engineer, and the creator of the submersible Faelin pilots in the announcement trailer. “But her genius in making ships doesn’t quite save her from all of the trouble Faelin finds himself in down there,” Chu warns.
In addition to Ini Stormcoil, Faelin has hired Hearthstone's very own Sir Finley Mrrgglton of the League of Explorers as a guide. “Who could be better than Sir Finley?” Chu asked. “He was made for this sort of thing.“ Sir Finley is striking out on his own, independent of the rest of his usual traveling companions, meaning players can look forward to seeing a new side of the murloc explorer.
Other characters, both new and old, are set to appear in Voyage to the Sunken City as well. Captain Hooktusk, who appeared briefly in the trailer, may become a hurdle for the expedition to overcome on their journey. Hearthstone revealed several new Legendary cards as well, including the ankoan Blademaster Okani and several giant sea monsters, but it is unknown if these characters will feature in the story, or rather act as set flavor in general.
After the popularity of the Book of Mercenaries story from the last Hearthstone cycle, many fans wondered if they would see the cast from the previous story, such as Cariel Roame or Varden Dawngrasp, make a return. While it seems the Mercenaries will be taking a well-earned break from the spotlight, Chu made one thing clear: when it comes to Hearthstone, “never say never.”
“We do love to bring characters back, especially if players ask for them. Player feedback is important to us in that regard. So, if people love certain characters, share your love and they might come back one day.”
Hearthstone Solo Adventures in the Sunken City
Solo Adventures in Hearthstone are single-player experiences which allow players to explore the story backdrops to the sets they appear in. They have taken many forms over the years, from ladder-esque raids reminiscent of WoW such as Curse of Naxxramas, deck-building rogue-like dungeons like the Dalaran Heist, or linear stories like Ashes of Outland. Voyage to the Sunken City will bring yet another adventure to Hearthstone.
Right now, however, it isn’t known exactly what shape the solo adventure will take. Chu did share that it would follow the premise of the trailer written by Golden: the expedition led by Ambassador Faelin. “It’s been so much fun playing with the mechanics and riffing off what the set design team has created with the collectible cards to make special experiences for players that help tell Faelin’s story,” she said. The Solo Adventure sounds like it could be similar to the linear stories Hearthstone has used, though it seems unlikely to be a sweeping, year-long narrative with the intensity of the Book of Mercenaries.
“The cinematic does a really good job of setting the tone of a year of fresh new things coming to Hearthstone. We did the year-long narrative last time. It’s time to switch things up a bit this time, and we're ready to explore new waters and dive in to see what’s out there.“
Regardless of the shape the Solo Adventure takes, Ambassador Faelin is set to be at its heart. As the major character of the adventure, he will likely be the character controlled by the player throughout the journey–one he will be taking as much as the player. “Zin-Azshari is a place he hasn’t seen since before its destruction,” Chu said, “so there’s a journey of self-discovery there for him as well.“
His discovery of how his hometown of Zin-Azshari has transformed into Nazjatar over the years seems to be the focus of the story this time around. Chu’s excitement for his story was palpable; if players like him even half as much, he could easily join Hearthstone’s cast of beloved original characters.
“The story of Faelin evolved really organically, and I was excited with the upcoming solo content to use a bunch of my learnings from the Book of Heroes and the other books that have come out to try new things, and to hopefully make things players will enjoy even more.”
Voyage to the Sunken City is set to change the course of Hearthstone for the next year. With a cast of new characters, a setting full of mysteries to explore, and 135 new cards to collect, players have new adventures to look forward to, both literally and figuratively.
Hearthstone is available now for mobile and PC. Voyage to the Sunken City releases on April 12.